Brussels

[Staringatthemoon]

Might (and it’s a big night) have the chance to move to Brussels for a year. Current job finishes soon and may be a post in Brussels I could do instead of London. Would you go? I rent here ( v. expensive for what it is in zone 3) and have no commitments. Single, mature of age and just feel it’s now or never as my next job if I stay here has to be permanent. The only thing is my flat is a trust and feels secure (and took me a long time to get in London) although the plan is to buy eventually. Job is in a field I love ( very niche - pay 30,000 ( I know).
Would you go? Seems nothing but doom here and the thought of opportunities has just left me in London- am thinking a new place would be a kickstart/adventure that might open up new possibilities 😩

I have an EU passport too

Where would work be in Brussels? Housing is cheaper in Brussels than London and public transport is decent and cheap. Easy to explore other places from Brussels by train.

Belgian healthcare is very good generally and fairly easy and quick to access.

Hi catmack! It would be central - very central

European quarter or elsewhere in Brussels?
If you speak French it can be helpful but quite a lot of admin - internet, banking etc - can be done in English and depending on the job/ field work can mainly be in English.
If you want to get an idea of housing look up Immoweb.be and then put in areas Ixelles, Etterbeek, St Gilles, Woluwe St Pierre as starters. Uccle is a nice area but not so well served by public transport.

Would you have health insurance or need to join a mutuelle? Some mutuelles also offer services in English. Mutuelles are health insurance funds through which you claim back health costs and to which you pay monthly in most cases.

Go for it!
Try to get help with the admin of moving there, connect with ex-pats who can help with this and settle you in to a social circle.
It's a very easy city to live in in terms of size and public transport.
It's well placed to visit loads of other places in Europe too.
I loved my time living there and living in a new country is such a great experience. Best of luck with it all!

@thank you both! Now I feel more inspired. I have visited before and loved it. Can speak franglais! My French is poor but there is something there to work on. No Dutch.

love the field of work and by going I could continue in this area. Not sure if I would get a job here otherwise. Am very tempted for lots of reasons as I feel something complete new could be just what I need but I am scared! I have lived abroad before as a student but this time I am panicking 😩. I’m putting that down to age😀

I wouldn't bother moving properly for just a year. Could you commute weekly and get the company to pay for your accommodation Sun to Thurs or pay towards a long term let? That way you wouldn't have to give up your flat. You could stay some weekends to explore/travel.

@BreakfastAtMimis i’m tempted to offer tat suggestion esp for the first 3 months. London to Brussels is 2 hrs and I am sure some of my work would be remote/at home. This gives me a chance to see the city and get to know it first.

Only thing stopping me doing this is that I thought that in order to work there you would need a Belgian address but perhaps not?

There are cross border workers aplenty - but the huge issue is tax, and where you pay it. Your HR should hopefully give more info. At least with an EU passport, a lot of bureaucracy is removed. Weekday serviced apartments will not be that cheap as (like the international schools) they assume the employer will pay - and it didn't immediately sound like that was your situation. I've lived in Brussels for 17 years. There's loads going on and plenty to see. Also a great base to explore lots of Europe (I love a train trip). You can pop to France/NL/Germany for the day even. Huge expat community with lots of Facebook groups for example so it's easy to find people to meet up with. English is very widely spoken - though most officaldom stuff is either french or dutch. I find as stuff moves more online there is more often an english option. It's normally quite standard for employers to offer lunch voucher's, and a subscription to public transport - so do check this. Plus hospitalisation insurance - v. important. For day to day healthcare, the equivalent of NI comes from your salary and you choose a "mutuelle" that will adminster it, at a cost of about 130 euros a year (off top of my head) You pay to see the doctor or dentist, but can claim large chunks of that back. Medical care is off the scale in my experience. Same day GP appointments and direct referrals where needed.

@MissAmbrosia thank you! All sounds good. I think it would be possible to have a good life there within budget

i’ve some reading to do. Might try and get over there this week to take a look around😀